Comments for The Platonist

Comment on Have American standards of living gone into irreversible decline? by Steve

Steve — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 16:28:00 +0000

I can testify to this: ” Being an office person is about the only career path left. And yet downsizing has made this much much more stressful than ever before. Now, to keep a job, you have to literally work 70 hour weeks? And get ulcers and the like? Doing what? Often, incredibly meaningless, tedious work, for no reasonable purpose.”

Comment on Why do we work so hard? Who determines our work hours? by Steve

Steve — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 16:20:42 +0000

Spot on!

Comment on Have American standards of living gone into irreversible decline? by Pigbitin Mad (@pigbitinmad)

Pigbitin Mad (@pigbitinmad) — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 19:20:33 +0000

You are tellin’ it like it is. I don’t really understand why nobody could see that when the price of a house doubles every two years (while salaries decline) you are headed for a crash. Why was I the only one who never believed for one minute that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction (because if they were there, the inspectors would have found them because we would have already known where they were with all our wonderful technology that can detect a hangnail from space). It’s great to know our leaders have absolutely no common sense whatsoever. Somehow we have to start over with an alternate universe in some place like Detroit that has almost been abandoned by this stupid system. Everyone can just find a squat and start an alternate economy.

Comment on The platonist’s top 25 alternative albums. by Agrippa the Ripper

Agrippa the Ripper — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 19:33:17 +0000

I would love you to explain why you find Tool to be anti-humanist etc. I just honestly have no idea what you’re getting at there. I am particularly thinking about their album ‘Lateralus’ which is extremely idealistic. I also have no idea how you can then go on to include ‘The Downward Spiral’ in your list which is pretty much the soundtrack for nihalism.

Comment on Planned Obsolescence, Corporate “Rationing,” and Household Prosperity by Roxie

Roxie — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 04:59:30 +0000

Hey Mr Platonist
Are you still posting? You have very interesting posts and I’m looking forward to reading more. Has the world gone crazy? or are we on the threshold of great change. Surely we can’t go on the way we are, going backwards it seems at times.
Roxie

Comment on Why major in English? How could an english major possibly be useful? by Marie

Marie — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 04:20:37 +0000

Love this. You’ve put my reasons into words much more elegantly than I’ve been able to. :)

Comment on Is it better to live in Europe, or the US? by Biff Carrington

Biff Carrington — Sun, 04 Nov 2012 05:34:36 +0000

Very good but what about work / careers ?

Comment on How do we get to Star Trek’s vision of a future utopian Earth? by Klif

Klif — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 19:42:47 +0000

Maybe, the human species is behaving exactly as programed. I or you might be too intellectually immature to know what the ones in the 24 century know.

Outer space may not be up or down, rather in and out. Even, left and right. All of the dimensions and the waters of the universe.

I’ve heard planets within our solar system were just something for us humans to look at.

If only we could see our assendents from our future abode. Maybe we will.

Never tested my IQ, but I’d guess it to be in the high 90s.

Comment on Where does a PhD in medieval history get you? by Magda

Magda — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 20:27:59 +0000

Hello,
I was wondering around the internet searching on ways of how to start pursuing a Phd in medieval studies, since I just finished my MA in the same field. Reading this article was sure something of a surprise. I can’t say it inspired me but it definately made me smile in many parts along the way of reading. I can say that your mind has found that little star in the universe that brings light to your world and you just shared this light with us. So I want to thank you for this because I saw a ray of light somewhere at the end of my life’s dark tunnel. I can’t say I am completely convinced with it though. Because I still have many things to keep away from the academia, and the first is the whole notion of becoming a search machine for the sake of the system…I admire you since you have found happiness in your life even though you are an academic. During my MA studies the only thing I saw from my professors and the academics I met was a constant, never-ending struggle from their part to surpass everyone’s expectations or at least show off their knowledge in a way that would not suit me in any way. I am not the person who will show off my knowledge. I used to be a teacher of english but this has nothing to do with surpassing others of my field or fascinate everyone with my knowledge..it was an earnest and loving try to teach my students.
The second problem is very much something which you already overcame. If I am about to embark on the journey of the Phd with my family weighing me back, nagging on how I don’t find a real job and always spending money on studying, it will definately be a hard and stressful road…But I started my MA having this great excitement in my heart that I was doing something I honestly loved deep within me, so I had to give to all my friends and relatives the same answer when they were asking ‘why?’: Because I love it…and this is all I need to know for now…
But the Phd is a completely different story…and taking the desicion no matter the circumstances, is something that I will have to find out on the way.
The fact that you noticed that the rich are the ones who are studying arts was a point I had never considered but it now makes perfect sense. And unfortunately for me, I don’t belong to the rich. This is the huge rock that keeps me still hanging on the question of: “what will I do with my life? since I need to make money!!”…Will I end up wasting my early years teaching English with my English BA?…
Well, that’s what I wanted to share with you. You seem like a very knowledgable person and you remind me of my dad a lot..he works as an advocate but his history knowledge is amazing…and he also loves reading literature of the elite writers like Tolstoy. This is were I got my interest in reading too…So I do hope to make my dream come true the way you did…And now I will continue with my search and journey on a Phd.
Thanks again and best of luck (although you already have it!^_^)

Comment on Work hard, be responsible, and quit whining. That’s how to get ahead, says the GOP… but is attaining prosperity really so straightforward? by C

Wed, 26 Sep 2012 15:42:31 +0000

These laws are not just about single mothers, my son has to pay child support and still scrape together thousands to file for visitation for his daughter because in Ohio fathers have no rights.
Plus both my husband and I work 60 hours a week, for very little because all of the high paying jobs are sent overseas. We both come from low income families and never had the luxury of getting our schooling paid for, so we are paying back student loans and not working in that field because once again we do not have any jobs in the area we are stuck in.